What is I-O?

Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology is the scientific
study of the workplace. Rigor and methods of psychology are
applied to issues of critical relevance to business,
including talent management, coaching, assessment,
selection, training, organizational development,
performance, and work-life balance.

Identify KSAOs. I/O psychologists can work with subject matter experts to identify the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other personal characteristics required for a specific talent strategy to succeed.

The following is an example of an organization facing talent strategy and planning challenges:

The merger of two electric utilities created one of the nation’s largest energy providers.

The new organization was challenged with integrating two different business strategies, disparate corporate cultures, two geographies, and two different regulatory environments.

The industry itself was experiencing transformational change.

Talent Strategy and Planning Needs: The Solution

I/O psychologists helped this organization by:

Designing an off-site meeting for the leaders of both organizations to discuss the strategy and goals for the combined organization.

Partnering with the head of Human Resources to map out a talent strategy to support the newly adopted, post-merger strategic focus.

Identifying the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for key positions within the organization.

Completing a talent inventory to reveal gaps in key skill sets, such as financial acumen and marketing.

Closing talent gaps over an 18-month period through a combination of training and external hiring with rigorous selection criteria.

Designing a system by which employees were kept aware of the intentions of the company to retain employees, in order to avoid the deleterious effects of rumors and mitigate the realistic stress that arises from speculation over their future with the company.

Designing and implementing science-based strategies to unite the two corporate cultures to avoid the common merger pitfall of having “a house divided” or warring entities within the company, which inhibits productivity when employees feel marginalized or react against changes their job duties or routines.

Talent Strategy and Planning Needs: The Results

This organization benefited though the following results*:

Alignment on priorities established a culture of collaboration and trust.

Limited turnover during the merger process due to the clarity of the organization’s direction.